Dr. Daryl (The Bollweevils)
What are your top five albums that were released in 2024? (In order 1-5)
Drug Church - Prude
I am in the top 0.3% of listeners of this record. I am damn proud of that because this record is my favorite thing. There isn't any filler on this record. Everything is fantastic. ("The Bitters" is my favorite one on this record.)
The Cure - Songs of a Lost World
What can I say? This is The Cure. It's an amazing record. Brooding, dark, perfect.
The Effigies - Burned
This is what Chicago sounds and feels like. This record brings me back to experiencing Chicago Punk for the first time, but with a modern day take. The last thing John Kezdy recorded and it's phenomenal. RIP John.
SPELLS - Past Our Prime
To capture the live fun and energy that this band brings and make it into a recording is what you get with this record. "Past Our Prime," the title track, is my anthem. Listen to this record. Go see them live if you have the opportunity.
Ultraman - Dead End Thoughts Under A Crawling Sky
I had been waiting for a long time for new music from Ultraman. This St. Louis outfit didn't disappoint with the release. This hits hard and fast!
What band did you discover in 2024 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? How so?
There were a couple bands I discovered in 2024. Schedule 1 and Amusement are both amazing. Also Chain Cult and Homefeont. Was clued into all 4 by my good friend CJ. When you hear something that makes you have this perpetual smile on your face, you know it's made an impression. All 4 of these bands did that for me. Besides listening to my top 5 these were in heavy rotation. Also discovered Bear Away this year while at FEST. The amazing folks in SPELLS took me to see Bear Away and they were fantastic!
How will you remember 2024 (in terms of music)?
Music seems to be in a good place. Bands are writing phenomenal music, and it seems that for a lot of bands live music is back in swing but not for all bands and artists. We did see a bunch of artists cancel tours and shows due to low ticket sales.
What I mean to say is, 2024 will be remembered as the year the Drake and Kendrick wars ravaged the hip-hop world, and The Freak Off party entered the ether of our collective consciousness.
What can we look forward to from you in 2025?
Well, we were in the process of writing new songs. We are still doing that, but our drummer Pete broke his ankle and will be out and recovering for a good 6 months at least. We do have a substitute drummer for live shows so we are still available for shows. We will work out the songs and have Pete come in and work his magic with all of our parts complete. Mizzi, our bass player, is becoming a father in 2025 so that's exciting! Hopefully we get some fall 20th anniversary invitations to a certain Chicago weekend, and of course FEST in Gainesville is always the best time!
We do have a weekend planned in March (7th and 8th) here at Punk Rock Tacos and in St. Louis for Scum Fest at Red Flag.
What records are you looking forward to most in 2025?
Amusement has some new music coming in 2025! The Raging Nathans should have something hopefully coming as well!
How do you try to get your news to fans as media platforms and algorithms change?
We are still using Instagram and Facebook. How do you tell someone you are old without saying you are old?
